Aerial torpedo



Sept 6 1949- N. M. HOPKINS 2,480,927

AERIAL TORPEDO Filed March 16, 1944 F164' "Files AERIAL TORPEDO iNevilMonroeifHopkins, New York;iN.fY.;,eRay f i mondeiiopkins, executrix ofi-said NevLMon- 1, 110e: fHopkins; deceased, .asignor ertoe Raymonde i Y ,S'Glaima ,il Y Y lhis"irwentiorrl pertains tohtonpe'does and more f/partieularlyrIto1 thoseffiashionedhto be redziat lcompaiajsivfelyiioWanuzzlf-y velocities at any yangle of departure from a gun, the invention-having 2'1aorl'its-principalobiect `the provision ofra mechanism which is simple in construction:andA more 1 fefci'ent'finl :operation-than those heretofore pro- -posd- Y ItC iisalso Yfan -obj ect of this invention to intro- 'J'duce Ways andsmeansf-or -varyingthev friction of.V transmission -v `between Y -a 1 rotarye rieengaging A1rnernherand flthe-fsmooth` Jo'dy `4off the torpedo 2 -Ine1nloer, throughV |`the introduction of one -or more -rijctiondiscsA forexample.

Itis also -anobiecteof this-invention to produce :La Minirssile-ofI minimum nove-r-all llength. when #stored laboardaishipffor-example and a-maxi- Y mum over-all 'lengthlwhenirrfig-htein-its trajec- ::-.try Y I':

-"It-is 'also ian -importantobjectf`f0f Vthe `invention i1-to z-lprovidr-i Lan ylanti-"aircraft "missile; -v dto e be dise-chargedfrom `algun atfa" high angle =of1reg-to attain a 4`great-hhei'ghtE because of the auxiliary rocketditive and to have aftimefor:super-sensitive -ifuse,#ierexample.V

fi 1It`- isialsoi anl'object 1ofi-thisf invention to -pro- @fduceL ani...aeriallatorpedolcontaining: annaximum Y.WeightiofV high explosiveiwithla -ininimumweight I1T' oi. container( therefor;J to'ebe fired from-I aV ried "-f'gun with a minimum of shockia'ndtwisting strain" .i.uponfthe saidcontainer.`

13.11; is ialso-an olojectoiY this1-i-nVentionivo-fashion r il a Vmissile iny two=easilyassembled lun-its 1 the cas- ;ringtfwith :itsf-war-he'adp detonator.` and explosive ller', `andthe tubularrtaili-memloerA with its rocket -fuel; irespectively, to' facilitate loadingzin aV gun.

vItis alsovani object 'of this invention toproduce :',torpedoifashioned toifreceive asmallenshock of;depatture'and-iesser,strain ofi spin on leavingk i angun, ,renderings` itsbetter adaptedsto fuses Vand ring` isystems, A.Tpartcul-arlyL topf/the .magnetic ,m'e'chanismdesign Withr these aand: ceintairif other objects Linvilview, e-riwhich: `xvszillzbensfome.:apparent .1 as;;.the`: descriptionl i proceeds, the invention consists in the pari-.sand `.vzcombinatioarisiotfpazts;'primziplesandimethods of f oneration-1,'.2 all :asfY :will .be lmore :fully :described and particularlygpciinted:outiinftheiclaims.

aReferring to theracoompanyingxdrawingseform?I 4 BrggsyHopkinaeNeWYork,-N..Y. Y i

filpplicationMal-ch 16, 1944; SerialjNo5-26H82 (CI. 102149) Y i2 l i ing. a part. ofithisfspeci'cat-ion; in :which: like nu- 'c merals edevsigna'te. likespartsfim all .of the VeWSZ fiFig. 1 Lisanfelevationlal Niews-of one xdesign. of ani aerial: torpedouznaele-finl .acciordancefwith this 5 inventiomz with the; highuexplosive chamber forel .shortened-tor lacleof drawing roonLf this illustra- 1 tion representing the. torpedo Whenplaced inthe Iwbarreloiragun; l Y

:IfEgaZ-is another View offthis. torpedo, ,partlyin :.sectiom. afterfithassleft theiibarrel ,of-l la gun;

'f Fig; Seis fan zelevationahView1 of another. design off this aerialitorpedd showing; theksame as. when t .placedin the barrel of aigun;

:isv a.: crossfsectionalyiew;:of the .rotary -smembergziashoned tofengage; the riflingfof a 4gun V-ziloarrelg and y U Y -Witlngparticu1am reiereilflcato:""ia:` 1; :l the', :nu- 11 meralfl n idesanates'themen/shaped headrlnem- I ,-rberlgofthe@ oomparatiyely thin, walled,- easing containigig'.l ai -high :egrplosivef-TN'E for; e: ;a1. nple,v not shown,l in the .present illllsavij/rationt While I L desigmesfthe heavyebottemnmemben andslzfandi-I indicate a pair;ois-ithnustfbearing f friction.: discs. i Thefnuineral Ilirepresents a rotatablecylindrical I memberhaylflgtextellafl '1p1 like` projections Ain- A ,dicated atgl 5which` are.,fashi nedto ,engag'efthe p priingL-.oi a guntbarrel, said. member; being Ayieldm4 aloly mountedasvby' -a .friet/ion 111i):- 1119011311. Y@1.0mgatedpsleeye meniherljl whichis free to reyolve )about a 'stoutttubular member (not [shown in this jgureiofgdrawingjbut'indicated vat *23,in lig.1f2)

,rigidlygconnectied `as by screwthreads at one .end '1.1' :thereof tothe Abase;orfloottoin .member I I ofi the headycasingy as'^clearlyindicated in #Figa 4.

A pluitlty-of spirallyfformednietallair-lns Vsuch Llo-asil' (inone-formfof -the inyentionare assemg bledeinfspaced A'relation-315e\ each other and rigidly united through the agency-of-fthefspacedlmetal rings such as i8, said rings hailing as`liding`-vt -Y1alongit'udinallwl oiithewsleevell 6. A1 slotaway inemberif |8= atf-its rreanmost end `2!! is-secufed tdand positionedsby, the tWofiorernostlfringsA .suchaasi I8 ,1.;and;cl'8.:;,1;said member tem-loraoing?` mithin :itss'fslot n acstud.Ztlnprojctinifhomithe, outer .surfaceof aidsleeyepsaidrmembenpositonedfwithinanotan @formedfintheifonemoskwina I8; f; a'l-lhusftmilme understood that the tail of the bomb or torpedo, comprising the fins I'I, is slidable upon the sleeve I6, or in other words said tail is capable yof elongation in flight relative the rest of the torpedo. In another form of the invention, said fins may be rigidly attached to the sleeve I6.

It is important to have friction or yieldable ts for the tubular and cylindrical members of this missile particularly lwhen employing spirally disposed air vanes because, on the discharge of the torpedo from a rifled gun the powder gases will cause momentary revolution of the air vanes in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation imparted to the member I4 by the riiling of the gun barrel, and hence there must be provided a slippage or yield. At 22 there is shown a water impact plunger for initiating the ignition of a time fuse within the torpedo or, invnplace of this type of delayed action firing device, I may use a magnetic firing device, somewhat analogous to the device of the magnetic mine, or other suit- Y' able device, a depth charge diaphragm devicej for example.

In Fig. 2 are shown4 the spiral fins or vanes II and their securing rings I8, extended rearwardly to elongate the missile, thereby adding to the effectiveness Aof the air vanes under high velocity.

' The tubular member 23 is secured at'its forward end to the heavy bottom or base II of the casing of the torpedo (see Fig. 4) and is confined within the sleeve I6, which sleeve is adapted to rotate around said tube. The numeral 24 represents a combustible filler disposed within said tube 23, a slow burning gun powder, for example, suitable for producing a rocket blast. This combustible substance may be a slow burning nitrocellulose composition, or this tube may contain (properly compartmented) the component parts of a liquid rocket propelling fuel comprising for example a combustible body such as high octane fuse passing through a plug member, not shown,

at theV discharge end of the rocket.

The construction of the missile shown in Fig. 3 follows substantially that heretofore disclosed with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the practical difference residing in the air vanes. In this modication of the invention the forward end portion of each vane is pinned or loosely riveted as at 26 to provide a hinged connection to the sleeve I6, an edge of one vanev being indicated at 21, each Vane being sheathed or housed (in whole or in part) between guide plates such as 28. The extreme forward end of each vane 2l is cut away, undercut, or otherwise suitably formed (as indicated by the dotted line 29) to provide a stop means for limiting the outward swing of the pivoted vane.

With particular reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that more of the internal construction is illustrated in the region of the junction of the sleeve I6 with the head member of the torpedo. The forward end of thetube 23 is shown capped or plugged as at 30, and securely screwed in, screw threads not shown, to the heavy base mem- 4 ber I I, which operation may be done in the process of loading the gun. In the present illustration the torpedo or rocket is shown as in flight after leaving a gun, because the vane members 21-21 are extended under the urge of centrifugal force due to the rapid revolution imparted frictionally to the elongated sleeve I6 by the cylindrical member i4 through the instrumentality of the rifling of the gun barrel. The rearmost end of said tube 23 may be outwardly flared or provided with an external ring device as indicated at 3l to serve as a means for confining the sleeve I6 longitudinally of the tube. The heretofore employed more or less solid high explosive such as TNT indicated at 32 may, if desired or found necessary for some particular use, be replaced as above stated by component parts of a liquid high explosive contained in suitable compartments of the shell member, the such Vcomponent parts' being brought together and mixed during the flight of the missile, the component parts of this liquid high explosive being benzene and nitrogen tetra oxide, for example. A simple pin plunger indicated at 33 is provided to be driven in not by impact with Water but only by impact with a more resistant body, the Vplating of a ship for example, and this may result in the ignition of a time fuse and detonator,

' for example.

considerable air cushion, between the powder bags and the rotatable cylindrical member I4, prior to the forward drive of the missile in the barrel of the gun, which lcompression materially Y reduces theshock and strain of firing upon the comparatively thin walls of the torpedo casing. The rotatable cylindrical member I4, of course, serves primarily asa seal or gas check to prevent undue forward escape of the gases of (powder) combustion within the gun barrel without the desired forward propulsion of the missile, but naturally said member will be given rotation by the riiling of the barrel and, through friction, this rotation will be imparted to the sleeve I6 and the air vanes carried thereby, the thrust bearing friction discs such as I2 and I3, interposed between this rotatable member I4 and the Y tainer.

base II of the body of the missile, serving to lessen the otherwise relatively great twisting strain upon the light wall of the missile con- Thus there is secured efficient forward propulsion of the missile and at the same time,

since al1 of the grooves of the rlfling are iilled by the ribs of the rotatable member, there is no great escape past said member of hot powder gases into the space betwen the riiling of the gun and the body of the missile in quantities sufficient to cause erosion or other damage to the Y missile.'

Furthermore, to secure gradual non-shock rotation of the body of a rocket-blast-propelled missile especially when, as and if liquid fuel com.. ponents are used and mixed at a jet or jets for tatin-g 'the main body of the'aerial torpedofmu'ch vhstr'ainisalso removed from therg'un itself, therebyi'allbwing the use and projection ofia'heavier "aerialitorpedo. A

i `Notwith'standing theV fact 'thatthis missilehas "been"fashiohed.to be red'ieconomically from a iiiedgun 'at comparativelylow' muzzle' velocities,

this being necessary in order notto put undue strain upon the light walled casing of the torpedo yet, to either make up for a loss in muzzle VVelocity or for other ballistic reasons, it is possible to incorporate ther independent rocket drive.

Therefore, it will be appreciated by ballisticians that the missile according to this invention may have ballistic qualities departing from those of a common shell or projectile. 'I'hat is to say, while the velocity of the common shell or projectile is constantly decreasing because of air resistance, the present missile may maintain or even increase its muzzle velocity through an appreciable portion of its trajectory.

'I'his missile may be either used in skip ballistics, analagous to skip bombing, by travelling swiftly over the surface of the seat after striking the Water or, on the other hand and depending upon its angle of departure, its muzzle velocity and/or a combination with the rocket drive, this missile may strike the water at an angle such as to prevent skip travel, and hence dive. It is interesting to point out in this connection that in diving, after srtiking the water at a proper angle, the missile turns about and pursues a substantially fiat trajectory under water to its target.

When I say flat trajectory, I mean, of course, comparatively flat to that of its aerial trajectory. A body falls much slower in water than in air and it is this fact which contributes toward the interesting comparatively flat trajectory to the target. When I say the trajectory may be substantially flat, I am keeping in mind that it may travel in an undulatory manner.

In the ballistics of this missile I may elect through a proper time fuse to only start the rocket action subsequent to the dive of the missile in order to secure a maximum of sub-sea travel.

Thus it will be seen that the ogive-capped light casing of this missile does not attain a sudden spinning motion but gradually acquires a spin about its major axis because of the friction between the spinning member i4 and the tubular sleeve member I6, and this spinning motion may be reduced or increased by varying the number of friction bearing washers.

It is obvious that those skilled in the various arts and Sciences involved as herein set forth, may vary the details of design and construction, arrangement of parts, as well as the methods, ways and means of the applicant, which would enable them to produce the foregoing invention without departing from its spirit, and therefore, it is not desired to be limited to the precise disclosure, except as may be required by the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A torpedo fashioned to be discharged from a rifled gun, comprising a closed casing, an explosive ller, and a detonator device therefor, a tail member secured to said casing, a gas check member engageable with the rifling of a gun barrel, a friction clutch operatively connecting the gas check member and the casing through the V"in's'triimntality' of the tail-fmeiiilderf.aiidfanifair j vane mounted upon 'said tail member.

l'A' torpedo A"fashi'Ol'l-d Y't0-: be' 2iii'sh'algi'edE "from ariled gun, comprising afclo'sed casing-an" explo- "siveillerQ and a detonator devicethereforiatubularmember'attached to an end of-said1fcasingra j'sheathing disposed` about Yls'aid'-"tubularmember with a`friction lt,'a gas checkmembefafshiond ltoC engage the rii'ling of a gun aboutfsaidshething-with a'frictionlt, and aispirallyidi'spo'sedair vane rigidly attached to said sheathing.

AV torpedo `fashioned-to" be discharged from a riiied gun, comprising a closed casing, an explosive ller, and a detonator device therefor, a tubular member attached to an end of said casing, a sheathing disposed about said tubular member with a friction fit, a gas check member disposed about said sheathing with a friction t, and fashioned to engage the rifling of a gun, and a spirally disposed air Vane rigidly attached to said sheathing, and a rocket fuel disposed within said tubular member.

4. A torpedo fashioned to be discharged from a ried gun, comprising a closed casing, an explosive iiller, and a detonator device therefor, a tubular member attached to an end of said casing, a sheathing disposed about said tubular member with a friction fit, a plurality of air vanes rigidly attached to said sheathing and fashioned to revolve said sheathing in one direction in the blast of the powder gases from a gun, and to revolve said sheathing in the opposite direction from the air pressure in iiight, the friction lit of the sheathing transmitting friction drive to said casing.

5. A torpedo fashioned to be discharged from a ried gun, comprising a closed casing, an eXplosive filler, and a detonator device therefor, a tubular member fashioned for attachment to an end of said casing, a sheathing disposed about said tubular member in a yieldable manner, a. gas check member disposed about said sheathing in a yieldable manner, and a plurality of air vanes rigidly attached to said sheathing, fashioned to revolve said sheathing in one direction in the blast of the powder gases from a gun, and to revolve said sheathing in the opposite direction in the blast of air after leaving the gun.

6. A torpedo fashioned to be discharged from the barrel of a ried gun, comprising a closed casing, an explosive filler, and a detonator device therefor, a tail member secured to said casing, a tubular sheathing rotatably mounted upon said tail member, and a clutch comprising a cylindrical member mounted upon said sheathing and engageable with the riing of a gun barrel, said cylindrical member frictionally connected to said sheathing and said casing for imparting rotation thereto during the transit of the torpedo through a gun barrel.

'7. A torpedo fashioned to be discharged from the barrel of a ried gun, comprising a closed casing, an explosive filler, and a detonator device therefor, a. tail member secured to said casing, a tubular sheathing rotatably mounted upon said tail member, and clutch mechanism providing friction drives between said sheathing and said casing, said mechanism comprising a cylindrical member frictionally mounted upon said sheathing and engageable with the riiling of a gun barrel, said mechanism further comprising thrust members disposed between and frictionally engaging said cylindrical member and said casing.

8. A torpedo comprising a head portion and a tail portion, a sleeve rotatably mounted upon said -tail portion and provided with an outwardly extending stud, an air vane assembly comprising a frame carrying a. plurality of air vanes, and

slidably mounted axially of said sleeve to increase the over-al1 length of the torpedo after its launch- 5 8 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Vfile of this patent:

UNITED STATES lPATENTS Number Name Date Berney July 7, 1863 Ericsson May 13, 1884 Crawford 'Oot. 23, 1917 Schneider Feb; 19, 1918 Brandt Sept. 27, 1932 Anzalone Mar. 26, 1946 

